Best Mid-Range Smartphones of December 2015 below Rs 15,000

In 2015, we have seen some decent mid-range smartphones, and while coming to the end of the year, the companies have followed the same trend by launching the few more smartphones with powerful specifications and aggressive pricing. Apart from the major manufacturers, many local brands and debutants are also part of this list. Along with the Android-powered devices, we also have a Windows phone included that can be useful for those who looks outside of Android ecosystem.

In the limelight of flagships Lumia 950 & Lumia 950XL, the affordable Lumia 550 haven’t got any time at the launch event of Windows 10 devices. But in terms of productivity, the Lumia 550 comes with basic specifications which in turn runs on the optimized Windows 10 OS to give a boost for its productivity features. While the Continuum dock features require high-end specs; creating and editing docs can be done on the go by using this Lumia 550.

It comes with a 4.7-inch HD display and is powered by a Snapdragon 210 quad-core Soc. There is 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage along with a MicroSD card slot. On the camera part, it has a 5MP rear and a 2MP front cameras. The device is priced at Rs. 9,399 and is also dubbed as the cheapest 4G LTE smartphone ever launched by Microsoft.

Kult is the latest debutant in the smartphone market that had launched the most affordable smartphone with 3GB RAM called ‘Kult 10.’ It features a 5-inch HD display and comes with dual SIM support. The device is powered by 1.3GHz Qualcomm quad-core chipset along with 3GB RAM and 16GB of built-in storage. It has 13MP rear camera, 5MP front camera and a 2,350mAh battery with fast charging support.

It runs on the Android 5.1 Lollipop, and the company had also announced the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in the near future. On the connectivity part, it offers 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/A-GPS, and a MicroUSB 2.0 port. It is priced at just Rs. 7,999 and can be purchased exclusively from Snapdeal.

The Canvas Pulse 4G from Micromax is the latest smartphone to include 3GB of RAM. Comparing with the Kult 10, apart from a powerful processor, we cannot find major differences in the specifications. The device is available through Flipkart with a price tag of Rs. 9,999. It features a 5-inch HD display and is powered by a MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor.

As said earlier, it has 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage along with an expandable storage option up to 32GB. For shutterbugs, it has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The 4G enabled device is backed by a 2,100mAh battery. It has a matte finished backed cover with a chrome finished frame around the device.

After launching some most affordable smartphones in India, InFocus now came with a new smartphone InFocus M680 with aggressive pricing. It is priced at Rs. 10,999 and can be purchased from Snapdeal in both Gold and Silver colors. The USP of the device is its metal build body and the 13MP selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture.

The device comes with all metal body and includes a 5.5-inch Full HD display. Under the hood is the MediaTek MT6753 octa-core processor along with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Both the front and rear camera features 13MP sensor. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop but the company had also promised to update the M680 to the latest Android 5.0 Marshmallow.

Motorola is the only global brand that make to this list of best mid-range smartphones. While the 3rd Gen Moto G was already available in India with some decent specifications and almost stock Android UI, In December 2015, it had launched the Moto G Turbo Edition with few improved specs. The design of the device remains same as on the 3rd Gen Moto G.

It features a powerful Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor along with 2GB of RAM, instead of the Snapdragon 410 SoC and 1GB of RAM. The 5-inch display still comes with a 720p resolution along wth Gorilla Glass protection. Another upgrade can be found in the battery department where the 2,470mAh battery now supports Motorola Turbo Power quick charging. The Moto G Turbo Edition is priced at Rs. 14,499 while the 3rd Gen Moto G costs Rs. 12,999.

Till date not many smartphones from Panasonic are competitively priced when compared to the smartphones available in the market. But with the launch of Panasonic Eluga Mark, the company offers some unique features that are missing on most of the devices at this price range. It includes a rear-facing fingerprint sensor with a support of upto eight different fingerprints while almost all the devices support only five fingerprints.

It is powered by a Snapdragon 615 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of built-in memory. There is a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera for Selfies. The device also supports Android for work that makes the device to operate on secure corporate networks. It is priced at Rs. 11,990 and is available across the country via online and offline stores.

There are few others smartphones that include 3GB of RAM for offering better multitasking. Lava, Intex, and XOLO are few other brands that came with 3GB of RAM and basic specifications. Interestingly, Xiaomi had launched the Redmi Note Prime priced at Rs. 8,999. The device comes with almost same specifications as the year old Redmi Note 4G, and this might also be one of those Xiaomi devices that aren’t offering any value for the money. If still looking for few more options under Rs. 15,000, then the below is the list of other smartphones that launched in December 2015.